Celtics’ Kristaps Porziņģis expected to return for Game 1 of NBA Finals vs. Mavericks: Sources

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By Shams Charania, Alex Andrejev, Jared Weiss and Jay King

Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porziņģis is expected to return to action for Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, barring a setback, league sources said Tuesday. Porziņģis completed multiple scrimmages in recent days, those sources said.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Porziņģis said having a couple more days before Game 1 gives him “a bit more time to get better.”

“I’m feeling better each day,” Porziņģis said. “It’s been a long process, I’m not going to lie. It’s been tough to sit out.”

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said that the team will evaluate how Porziņģis responds each day “to what he’s doing from a physical standpoint.”

“I think he’s on pace and he’s doing everything he can to get back,” Mazzulla said.

Porziņģis has been sidelined since sustaining a right calf strain on April 29. His expected return should provide a major boost for the Celtics, as they look to win a record 18th championship.

Porziņģis hobbled off the court after sustaining the non-contact injury in Boston’s win in Game 4 of their first-round series against the Miami Heat. He didn’t return to action and was later seen wearing a walking boot on his foot after the game.

Boston went 21-4 without Porziņģis during the regular season and still has plenty of talent when he’s injured.

The Celtics have dropped only two contests so far in the playoffs — both Game 2s, one against the Heat and the other against the Cleveland Cavaliers. They swept the Indiana Pacers, who were without star Tyrese Haliburton for part of the series, in four games to reach the NBA Finals.

Porziņģis spoke about playing against the Mavericks in the finals, saying it will be “fun” to go up against his former team from 2019 to 2022.

“A lot of like great relationships I have there and I think they deserve to have some success like they’ve had this season,” Porziņģis said.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals is Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET in Boston.

What to expect from Porziņģis in the NBA Finals

It’s little surprise that Porziņģis is on track for Game 1, nearly six weeks after he suffered the injury. Mazzulla was cagey about Porziņģis’ progress over the initial month, often just saying “I don’t know” when asked for updates. Even when he would expand on the subject, it would be something generic about how Porziņģis is working hard toward a return.

But once the Pacers series was approaching an end, the Celtics started to drop hints that he would be ready in time. Porziņģis even started to appear on the court again following practice, after he dropped out of the public eye late in May as he approached a full recovery status.

Porziņģis has always been a key cog in the Celtics machine, but he is particularly paramount in this matchup with Dallas. The Mavs have been the most dangerous pick-and-roll team in the game with their rotation of high-flying rim runners, so Porziņģis is one of the few people in the league who can win that battle in the air.

Then on offense, his ability to space the floor can make Dallas pay for packing the paint. He is truly the X factor that gives the Celtics their edge in this series. — Jared Weiss, Celtics staff writer

How Porziņģis matches up against the Mavericks

With Porziņģis back, Boston won’t need to worry about whether Luke Kornet or Xavier Tillman can hold up against Finals competition. As long as Porzingis isn’t on a strict minutes restriction, he and Al Horford should be able to split all the playing time at center.

In this series, Porziņģis’ presence should be significant. Against all of the Mavericks’ rim protection, the Celtics should now be able to have a floor-spacing center on the court at all times. On defense, Boston likes to match up Porziņģis with one of the opponent’s worst-shooting perimeter players; he should spend time on either Derrick Jones Jr. or P.J. Washington in this series, giving him room to help out on Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving drives.

The Celtics have considered Porziņģis a playoff key for them all along. They haven’t needed him so far, but they likely will. — Jay King, Celtics staff writer

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(Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran / The Boston Globe via Getty Images)